High-fructose corn syrup has taken a beating in the media. Some well-meaning people would have you believe that high-fructose corn syrup is the main culprit in the obesity epidemic sweeping our nation.

While researchers are testing these theories and speculations the best thing we can do as Americans is be smart about our food choices because the truth is that the obesity epidemic cannot be blamed on any one food product or lifestyle factor.

High-fructose corn syrup contains four calories per gram, the same as sugar and honey. Sugar is made from sugar cane and sugar beets, honey is made from a variety of flower nectars and HCFS is made from yellow dent corn. HFCS is made by changing the sugar in cornstarch to fructose — another form of sugar. There are two types of HFCS: HCFS-55, which is about the same sweetness as sugar, and HCFS-42, which is only about 92 percent as sweet as sugar.

Sugar, honey and HFCS all serve as sweeteners, preservatives, texturizers, flavor enhancers and fermentation agents. HFCS is best at prolonging the shelf life of products, so it is used in many processed foods, and this has contributed to the bad reputation it has developed. While it’s great that more shoppers are reading food labels before putting products in their carts, it is important to see the big picture.

Excess sugar of any kind in your diet is going to contribute to weight gain and potential health problems. A child who is allowed to drink copious amounts of “HFCS free” fruit juice will still be getting unhealthy amounts of sugar in their diet. We must all try to limit the amount of processed food, sweet snacks and soft drinks that we eat and by doing this we will naturally eliminate the threat of too much of any one thing.

Judy Taggart is director of community health for the Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization. She can be reached at 737-5787 or at taggartj@lvcho.org.

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